Starting school at four

Abstract

The subject of this paper is the early admission of children to school in England and Wales. Evidence from other countries is presented which suggests that the statutory age of admission to school in the United Kingdom is already amongst the lowest in Europe and in the United States of America. Research findings by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) demonstrate that there is a trend in England and Wales towards admitting children to school at a younger age. Data provided by 90 local education authorities (LEAs) in 1986 show that annual admission at the beginning of the school year of the child's fifth birthday has become the predominant mode of entry to school. The implications of annual admission are examined in detail, and reference is made to recent official publications concerning the admission of children to school at four years of age. Current provision for young children in infant classesappears to fall short of that recommended by a recent Parliamentary Select Committee, particularly with reference to class size and ancillary support. The NFER research revealed concern about the curriculum offered to four-year-olds in schools. This is discussed in relation to the proposed increase in parental choice of school, the setting of attainment targets in basic subjects and the content of the proposed National Curriculum.

Evaluating Key Stage 1 assessments: the testing time of May, 1991

“…Younger children's scores were significantly lower than those of older children, the birthdate effect. This is a finding also confirmed in other studies (Bell & Daniels, 1990, Sharp, 1988, but one of the major problems lies in the relationship between age and number of items in school. This is especially the case with young children in school.…”

Reception class structure and the performance of summer-born children in key stage 1 assessments: A small scale study in a London borough

“…Some LEAs try to ameliorate the situation for summer-born children by changing school entry policies so that all children have the same amount of time in school (Sharp 1988(Sharp , 1994(Sharp , 1995. Concern has been expressed about this practice and the effect it has on four year-olds (Bennett and Kell, 1987;Sestini, 1987) as well as its inability to alleviate age-group position effects (Sharp, 1995).…”

Who wants to go to school? Lessons from reforming (back and forth) the school entry age in Poland

“…This debate is particularly vivid in countries where children tend to start school very early, for example in England and Wales (Sharp, 1988).…”